


The Three Witches

by hlravensnest_archivist



Category: Highlander: The Raven
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2002-12-31
Updated: 2002-12-31
Packaged: 2018-12-16 22:17:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11838123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hlravensnest_archivist/pseuds/hlravensnest_archivist
Summary: Note from Daire, the archivist: this story was originally archived atHL Raven's Nest. Deciding to give the stories a more long-term home, I began importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in August 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address onHL Raven's Nest's collection profile.





	The Three Witches

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Daire, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [HL Raven's Nest](http://fanlore.org/wiki/HL_Raven%27s_Nest). Deciding to give the stories a more long-term home, I began importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in August 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [HL Raven's Nest's collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/hlravensnest/profile).

The Three Witches by RSS

_The Three Witches_

By RSS 

* * *

Amanda walks down the street on an overcast October day, planning to spend the afternoon shopping. Amanda always finds shopping a good way to clear her head of unpleasant thoughts. Someone once told her there’s a difference between someone you love to be with and someone you love. Since she met Nick she understands that saying’s meaning. Amanda feels obligated as Nick’s teacher to prepare him for a life after her, but not prepared to think about it herself. The sensation of another Immortal reminds Amanda it could be too late. 

Amanda rounds a corner and sees the other Immortal is a woman with gray hair and a cane. Amanda approaches the woman. She recognizes the woman as Loreli Griese; her first death was at age twenty-four. 

“Love your ’do, Loreli.” 

“I’m in disguise. I need to speak to you somewhere that’s not so exposed. This concerns you as well.” 

“Come with me. I have a place on holy ground.” 

“That won’t make a difference. What’s the excuse for your ’do?” 

* * *

**WÜRTTEMBERG, 1599**

It’s a pleasant autumn afternoon. Amanda has been shopping for fabric and brought Loreli along to help her. On the way back to their cottage they pass Lothar, the village jailer and Loreli gives him a friendly greeting. Amanda feels Lothar has misjudged Loreli’s friendliness for something more personal. Loreli is friendly towards everyone. Lothar has an ugly face; none of the other women in the village give him any attention. 

Amanda has been living with Nadja Malik for three months where Loreli is Nadja’s servant. Nadja is 150 years old and Loreli doesn’t know about Immortals. That’s as it should be since Loreli hasn’t yet had her first death. 

When they get back to their cottage Loreli prepares dinner as Nadja and Amanda wait for their customer. 

* * *

**PRESENT TIME**

Amanda takes Loreli back to The Sanctuary. Nick is also at The Sanctuary. 

“Nick, this is Loreli Griese. Loreli, this is my friend Nick Wolfe.” 

Loreli and Nick shake hands and exchange greetings. Nick looks bewildered by Loreli’s appearance but he doesn’t say anything about her disguise. 

“Loreli and I have some girl talk. So if you don’t mind.” 

“No problem.” 

“No, Amanda, this also concerns him. There are some mortals who know about us.” 

“There always are.” 

“This isn’t just the usual husbands, wives, and lovers. There’s a society of them. They have tattoos on their wrists.” 

“They’re called ‘Watchers’ ... usually they’re harmless.” 

“Would I be made up this way if they were harmless?” 

“Look, I know a Watcher who’s one of the good guys. I’ll let him know there are some renegades out there.” 

“This isn’t just a few renegades.” 

“I learned about them from Nadja. She is on their hit list. Then she killed my Watcher, so now I’m on the list.” 

Nick stands in front of Loreli. “If you didn’t know about them then how did you know the Watcher she killed was assigned to you?” 

“What are you, a cop?” 

“I was for twelve years.” 

“I knew my Watcher for many years. I didn’t kill him, Nadja did.” 

“Why did you lie to us?” 

“Still the cop I see. What I said made me look more innocent than the truth.” 

“Okay you two. This isn’t getting us anywhere. I’ll call my friend. His name is Joe Dawson.” 

“Why tell him anything?” 

“Loreli, if they’re after you he’s your only chance of staying alive.” 

“Okay, okay, I don’t like it but it doesn’t seem as if I have much of a choice.” 

“Nadja, is she...?” 

“She’s still alive; here in Paris.” 

“I’ve got a call to make.” Amanda walks into another room. 

Loreli follows her, whispering to Amanda, “You have old Nick with you for protection?” 

“I’m his teacher.” 

“You always were the one to take risks.” 

Amanda smiles then punches in Joe Dawson’s number on her telephone. Amanda’s mind drifts back. 

* * *

**WÜRTTEMBERG, 1599**

Loreli is off to see the church bell’s raising. Nadja was only too happy to give her leave, preferring not to have Loreli around when there is a customer. Nadja’s customer is Bertha, a wealthy merchant’s wife whose husband has suffered a couple business reverses. Amanda smiles behind Bertha’s back as Nadja chants and waves her hands over a candle. Nadja instructs Bertha to blow out the candle and Nadja pretends to study the smoke. 

“Yes, as I feared. An enemy has placed a curse on your husband’s business.” 

“Can you take it off?” 

“It is possible. Since the curse is against money it will require money be sacrificed.” Nadja places a purse on the table and opens it. 

“Place your sacrifice here.” Bertha drops a silver coin in the purse. “It will require more than that.” Bertha drops two more coins in the purse and hesitates. 

Amanda interjects, “That is enough, not true?” 

“It might be enough. If the sacrifice is not enough, then it will only strengthen the curse.” 

Bertha hastily throws in a gold coin and a few more silver coins. Nadja takes the purse, shaking the money in the purse and dances in front of the fireplace. Turning her back to Bertha, she hides the purse inside her clothes then throws an empty purse into the fireplace. Nadja plops into a chair and acts exhausted. Bertha thanks Amanda and Nadja. Amanda shows Bertha out the door. She turns to Nadja and smiles as Nadja takes out the purse and the women laugh heartily. 

A loud crash interrupts their laughter. Rushing outside, they see people running and screaming. They follow the crowd to see the church bell has fallen. There are many dead and injured. They see Loreli lying on the ground. Lothar brushes Loreli’s hair and cries, “She is dead.” 

Amanda and Nadja rush to Loreli’s side and look at each other. When Loreli gasps for air, Lothar jumps back as Loreli slowly rises to her feet. A man shouts, “Black magic!” People grumble, “They are witches!” Some men seize the three women. 

* * *

**PRESENT TIME**

Amanda lets Joe Dawson inside. “Joe, this is Loreli Griese.” 

“Yeah, I can tell even under the make-up and bleached hair.” His tone is cold. Loreli extends her hand but Joe stares at it with disdain. 

“I didn’t have anything to do with your friend’s death.” 

“His name was Christian Jongbloed.” 

“Yes, I know. He was forty-two years old. He had a wife, Madeline, and two children, daughters Christina, nine; and Helen, seven. I was closer to him than your little rule book said he was supposed to be.” 

“How much closer?” 

“None of your business.” 

“I guess not. Look, if you want to get this straightened out you’ll have to come with me. You’ll answer a few questions and if your story checks out we’ll call off the dogs.” 

Loreli looks at Amanda, who gives Loreli a reassuring nod. “Let’s get this over with.” 

Joe leads Loreli out the door. Amanda and Nick tag along. Joe points to a dark sedan with tinted windows. “This is mine.” 

“You got yourself a new car?” 

“Yeah, Amanda, my club is doing well.” Joe opens the door. A man pushes Amanda aside from the rear then shoves Loreli into the sedan and jumps in after her. Joe slams the door and taps the hood twice. The sedan speeds away. 

“That wasn’t necessary!” 

“We can’t take that chance, Amanda.” 

“Whatever happened to just watching?” 

“Well Nick, somebody comes after us we come after them.” 

“I don’t like being used this way.” 

“She’ll get a fair chance to defend herself, Amanda. That’s more than Christian or any of the others got. I suppose you want to come along?” 

“It’ll be more convenient if we all go in one car rather than have us follow you.” 

“I’ve still got the same old car. It’s parked further down the street.” The three of them walk down the street as Amanda’s mind drifts back. 

* * *

**WÜRTTEMBERG, 1599**

It’s late at night, the shouts about witchcraft and the wrath of God from outside have died away. From Loreli’s look, Amanda believes there will soon be shouts from inside the cell. Loreli proves her right. 

“How could you do this to me? You brought me back so I can die a slower, more painful death.” 

Nadja makes eye contact with Amanda. Then she flashes her eyes at Lothar who’s looking in on them. Nadja takes Loreli’s hands. “We are not witches. We do not know what we are. We just heal from our injuries.” 

Amanda interjects. “We do not know why or how. We did nothing. We knew you were like us. Nadja and I cannot explain how we knew. We just knew.” 

“Yes, but I am afraid the judge may know how to really kill us. Amanda and I are just as frightened as you.” 

Nadja leads Loreli in prayer. Amanda walks over to Lothar and whispers, “Lothar, I understand you not trusting Nadja and I. We are foreigners, but you know Loreli. You know she is not a witch.” 

“It matters not what I know.” 

“I know it is too much of me to ask for mine or Nadja’s freedom. Loreli, you know she is innocent.” 

“You want me to free her? I will be in her place and within a day she’ll be back here as well.” 

“Not if you go with her. You have got the night ahead of you. She likes you, Lothar; you know that. You and she can leave here; live a long happy life together far away from here. Your alternative is to live a lonely life here, knowing you helped kill the one woman who cared for you.” 

Lothar breathes heavily. Then he grabs his keys and opens the door. “Come, all of you, quickly.” 

_False altruism works every time._

* * *

**PRESENT TIME**

Amanda and Nick are in a small room in the Watchers’ Headquarters. They’ve been there for over two hours. Joe comes in the room and motions them to come with him. He leads them into a large room where two men and a woman sit at a table at one end of the room. Two large men stand behind them. Loreli and Nadja sit behind a table at the opposite end of the room and two more large men stand behind them. Loreli has her arms wrapped around her cane as a scared child would hold on to a doll. Loreli looks frightened; Nadja looks defiant. Joe leads Amanda and Nick to a third table perpendicular to the other two. As they walk past Loreli yells out, “How could you do this to us, Amanda?” 

Nick and Amanda sit and the man in the center of the Watcher’s table speaks. “Loreli Griese, Nadja Malik, we are here to determine your fate. You are involved in the death of many mortals, including twenty-seven Watchers. We will start at the beginning. In 1599 --” 

Loreli jumps to her feet. “This is insanity! That was a different time and a different place! None of you could understand what happened then.” 

“Save your breath, Loreli. They’ve already decided. This is just to ease their conscience.” 

“If that’s the case I’m not going to let them do that, Nadja. You’ve got no right to pass judgment on things that happened before you were born.” 

The man in the center looks to the Watchers at the ends. They shrug. 

“Very well, we will just concern ourselves with the recent killing spree.” The Watcher in the center continues his reading of the dossier as Amanda’s mind drifts back to the beginning. 

* * *

**WÜRTTEMBERG, 1599**

Amanda, Nadja, Loreli, and Lothar come to a wooden bridge. They dismount to walk their horses across the bridge as Lothar leads the way. Nadja runs up behind Lothar and rams a knife into his back. He lets out a loud groan and Loreli screams. Lothar turns around with a confused look on his face. Loreli and Amanda rush to him. Nadja pulls out the knife and wipes it off on his clothes. Loreli puts her arms around Lothar. Amanda examines the wound, knowing the wound is fatal. She feels the life drain from Lothar’s body. Amanda rushes to Nadja. “That was not necessary!” 

“He knew about us! He could have betrayed us at any time.” 

“He helped us escape!” 

“Today he helped us escape. Tomorrow he might have exposed us by betrayal or carelessness.” 

“What you did was wrong.” 

“What I did was necessary.” 

Loreli stands and grabs her horse’s reins. “Stop arguing! We have to leave here now!” 

Amanda and Nadja turn to Loreli. She is walking her horse across the bridge. Amanda and Nadja follow her. 

* * *

The three women come to a pond at a fork in the road and stop to water their horses and tell Loreli what it means to be an Immortal. Amanda feels this is also a good time to part company with Nadja. 

“I will take this road, you take the other. Come with me, Loreli. I will teach you what you will need to know to survive.” 

“Farewell, Amanda. I believe Nadja will teach me better.” 

Amanda feels sorry for Loreli. She wonders how she would have decided had she faced such a decision after her first death. 

* * *

**PRESENT TIME**

The Watcher in the center concludes, “It seems letting either of you leave here alive would endanger not only current, but future Watchers.” 

Joe paces the floor. 

“This all started when a group of renegades tried to kill Nadja Malik.” 

“Three renegades tried to kill her so she kills every Watcher she finds.” 

“She had no way of knowing every Watcher wasn’t like the renegades.” 

“Christian Jongbloed tried to tell her that. His last diary entry said Loreli Griese arranged a meeting with Nadja Malik. He trusted Loreli Griese and she presented him to Nadja Malik on a silver platter. That’s assuming Loreli Griese didn’t kill him herself.” 

Loreli jumps to her feet. “I didn’t kill him! I hoped to end this!” 

Nadja slides Loreli’s chair at one guard behind them. She kicks the table over and throws her chair at the other guard behind them. She lunges at the first guard and takes him down. She grabs his gun then charges Joe, putting the gun to his head, stripping Joe of his own gun. Loreli slaps Nick’s gun hand with her cane, it drops to the table and she uses the cane again to knock Nick’s gun across the floor. 

Nadja has one gun at Joe’s head and another pointed at the other Watchers. She has her back facing the wall and has Joe for a shield. “Freeze or I start shooting! Loreli, get the door!” 

Nadja backs toward the door as Loreli walks towards it. Amanda knows Loreli will seal her fate if she tried to escape with Nadja. 

“Loreli, you’re making a big mistake.” 

Loreli glances at Amanda then continues walking. In one motion she takes out the sword from her cane, swings, and decapitates Nadja with a precision that comes with 400 years of experience. Nadja’s body collapses and Joe falls on his face. Loreli turns to Amanda, “Perhaps.” 

Then she receives Nadja’s Quickening. Gusts of wind knock over the tables and chairs. Lightning strikes Loreli numerous times. Then there’s silence. 

Joe looks at the other Watchers. The trio nods; Joe shows his keys to Loreli. “Come on.” 

Joe and the three Immortals walk out of the room. There’s a dozen armed Watchers in the next room. On their way to the building’s exit a Watcher hands Loreli her raincoat and broadsword. 

* * *

When they reach Joe’s Range Rover he opens the back door. Loreli steps inside and slides to the opposite seat. Nick breaks his silence. “You’re a professional operation.” 

“Thanks, Nick.” 

“Why would you let an Immortal who’s on trial for her life keep a cane? Especially since the cane could be something more lethal.” 

“Yeah, well, I guess even monkeys fall out of trees.” 

“I don’t buy it.” 

“We gave them both every chance. Loreli made the right choice.” 

* * *

**EPILOGUE**

Amanda and Loreli walk out of Amanda’s suite. Nick nurses a drink at the bar. Loreli sits next to him. “You don’t like me do you, Nick?” 

Nick looks at her then he looks into his glass. 

“Let me tell you the difference between me and Amanda. You spend the night with me you might wake up with your head in your lap.” Loreli puts her face close to Nick’s ear. “I admit it.” 

Loreli walks to Amanda and they walk out of The Sanctuary together. 

“Thank you, Loreli.” 

“I just hope you don’t spend your last moment cursing me for this day.” 

“Don’t worry about that. I’ve liked many men but I’ve only trusted a couple. He’s one of them.” 

**THE END**

* * *

© 2002   
Please send comments to the author! 

* * *


End file.
